Stop the Attacks on the Clean Water Act in Congress

Access to swimmable, fishable, and drinkable waters is a basic human right, and today that right is under attack by big polluters and those in Congress who seek short-term gain at the expense of the health of our communities.

In 1972, 39 years ago, our nation’s waterways were sick. Rivers such as the Cuyahoga and the majestic Hudson were so impacted by toxic pollution that they were literally flammable and would cause serious illness to anyone who came in contact with them, and Lake Erie was declared all but dead; it was time for congress to act, and they did.

On October 18, 1972 the U.S. Congress passed what some consider the most significant environmental legislation in our nation’s history: the Clean Water Act. Enactment of the Clean Water Act created a simple, yet powerful and effective tool to help address these problems: a federal safety net for water quality that guarantees a minimum level of protection to all Americans, no matter where you live. And for nearly 40 years this approach has been working, and it is time to let Congress know that citizens are standing up for their right to clean water and healthy communities, and we will not let corporate polluters and their cronies in Congress weaken this important and historic legislation.

Join Waterkeeper Alliance and our 130 Waterkeepers across the U.S. in letting Congress know that access to clean water is a fundamental right for all and to oppose the attacks currently being waged on clean water by big polluters.

I just signed the following petition Stop the Attack on the Clean Water Act, which is addressed to: U.S. Senate and U.S. House Committees on Appropriations.

I am joining with the Waterkeeper Alliance and their 130 U.S. Waterkeepers in their Clean Water Act (CWA) 40 Campaign for 2012 in asking you to work to stop the attacks on the Clean Water Act currently being waged by big polluters and those in Congress who hope to weaken this important legislation that has, since 1972, cleaned up thousands of polluted waterways and ensures swimmable, drinkable, and fishable waters for all.

Our waterways are the lifeblood of our communities. They provide us with our drinking water, move our cargo, provide million of jobs and nourish our souls. It was almost 40 years ago now that we as a nation decided regulating the discharges into our crucial waterways made sense and it is working. Please stop these attacks on the Clean Water Act that looks to maximize short-term gains for polluters at the expense of our communities.

Waterkeeper Alliance is a coalition of more than 130 grassroots Waterkeeper organizations working to ensure that the 1,058,546 square miles of watersheds they work to protect in the United States of America are clean, safe, and healthy for the communities and wildlife that depend on them.

I stand with Waterkeeper Alliance in asking you to protect our right to clean water, and support their CWA 40 Campaign to celebrate, activate, and advocate for the Clean Water Act and swimmable, drinkable, and fishable waters for all.